INDIANAPOLIS — I heard Butler center Matt Howard, who missed the last 9 1/2 minutes Saturday night when he hit his head, was taken to the team bus on a cart after the game. He was that groggy. If he has a concussion, it’s possible he’ll miss Monday night’s championship game against Duke.

If that’s the case, Butler has no shot. Howard is the only legitimate big man in Butler’s starting lineup and he’s a small 6-8. The star, Gordon Hayward, even admits he’s not his listed 6-9. Howard would likely be replaced by 6-8, 215-pound senior Avery Jukes.

INDIANAPOLIS — There are a lot of obvious advantages for teams in the Final Four to play it in their town. There is one disadvantage: You still have to go to class.

While Michigan State, West Virginia and Duke are all in luxury hotels, eating gourmet meals and practicing, the Butler Bulldogs are five miles away going through their normal routine. Leading scorer Craig Hayward has three classes today.

In a way, though, it may not work against them.

“It’s hard to cocncentrate but it has been good but it has given us a sense of normalcy,” forward Matt Howard said. “It’s what we always do. You’re not always thinking about it. This school prides itself on our educational things that we do and our graduation rates. I can understand it.”